Improved near infrared-mediated hydrogel formation using diacrylated Pluronic F127-coated upconversion nanoparticles

In situ hydrogel synthesis based on photopolymerization has been recognized as a promising strategy that can be used for tissue augmentation. In this study, we developed an efficient in situ gelation method to prepare bulk hydrogels via near infrared (NIR)-mediated photopolymerization using acrylated polyethylene glycol and diacrylated Pluronic F127-coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). In our system, upon 980-nm laser irradiation, UCNPs transmit visible light, which triggers the activation of eosin Y to initiate polymerization. We found that the UCNPs coated with diacrylated Pluronic F127 can enhance the photopolymerization efficiency and thus enable the production of bulk hydrogel with requirement of a lower NIR light power compared to that required with the bare UCNPs. This photopolymerization approach will be beneficial to achieve in situ polymerization in vivo for various biomedical applications such as cell/drug delivery and construction of tissue augments.